How to Turn Off Live Activities on iPhone
Reading Time: 3 minutes During a recent flight with United Airlines, the United app provided me with constant real-time updates about my journey—like gate changes and boarding times—through Live Activities. These notifications, displayed on my Lock Screen and Dynamic Island (if you are using a supported iPhone model), were incredibly helpful, ensuring I stayed informed every step of the way. However, while I appreciated the convenience, I couldn’t ignore my growing concern about battery life. Being away from home with limited charging options, I found myself wondering whether these constant updates were worth the battery drain.
Live Activities are time-sensitive notifications (note that there are also time-sensitive notifications) designed to update in real-time, keeping you informed of critical information. However, they can sometimes feel like a problem, providing useful insights at the cost of your iPhone’s battery. If you’re in a similar situation and want to manage Live Activities, you have two options: you can turn them off for specific apps or disable them entirely for all apps. In this article, I will explain how to do this.
Disabling Live Activities can be a bit confusing because, although Live Activities function as notifications, they are not managed through the iPhone’s notification settings.
How to Turn Off Live Activities for All Apps
If you’d like to completely disable Live Activities across all apps on your iPhone, here’s how to do it:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap on “Face ID & Passcode”.
- Enter your passcode when prompted. This is your iPhone lock screen passcode.
- Scroll down to the “Allow Access When Locked” section and locate the toggle for Live Activities.
- Turn off the toggle next to “Live Activities.”
By turning off this option, no apps will be able to display real-time updates on your Lock Screen or Dynamic Island, allowing you to save battery and reduce distractions.
How to Turn Off Live Activities for Specific Apps
If you prefer to customize your settings and disable Live Activities for only certain apps, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down, tap Apps and select the app for which you want to disable Live Activities. For the purpose of this article, I am using the United app.
- In the app’s settings, locate the Live Activities option.
- Turn off the toggle next to “Live Activities.”
This approach allows you to control which apps can display real-time updates while keeping Live Activities enabled for the apps you find most useful.
Live Activities can be a fantastic feature, keeping you informed of essential updates like sports scores, deliveries, or flight information. However, they’re not always necessary for every app and can sometimes drain your battery faster than you’d like. Whether you’re trying to conserve battery life or reduce distractions, managing Live Activities gives you the flexibility to tailor your notifications to your needs.
With these simple steps, you can easily adjust your iPhone settings to balance convenience with practicality, ensuring your device works the way you want it to.
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